


The Right Stuff

by Rosage



Category: Dragalia Lost (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Matilda gets a gf, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-10 09:07:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19903255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosage/pseuds/Rosage
Summary: Vanessa makes a friend for Matilda and creates something for herself along the way.





	The Right Stuff

**Author's Note:**

> For Lizzledpink <3

Vanessa sits in her room with the door locked and sweat beading on her brow. While normally sewing would help her unwind, the project in her lap—a cow with button eyes—strains her muscles like a training session.

It's not that making toys is hard. She took up sewing to fix her clothes on the road and, as with everything, couldn't leave her skill level at that. It became a part of her training to direct her fingers with tight precision. More than one axe user she faced fell because their swings missed, leaving them open. And those were fighters without the fire she uses to crash down on her opponents.

Besides, how else is she supposed to relax at camp? Not everywhere she sleeps has a tavern. Nobody knows how much her hobby soothes her; they'd only make fun of her.

At least, she used to assume. Hell, Elly is friends with a stuffed rabbit, and she's the strongest knight Vanessa knows—and she thinks _Vanessa_ is strong. Vanessa's fingers fumble the needle. She sets it down, not for the first time since she began this project. It needs to be perfect for Elly, but just thinking that is enough to make her cheeks flame.

She tries to douse them as she picks up the needle and continues weaving it in and out, her movements as focused and fluid as Elly's.

After stitching the cow's front and back together, she stuffs it with cotton and makes the finishing touches. She places it on a stool to study it from all angles, looking for crooked seams or empty edges. Something's missing. It's well-crafted, but it's not good enough for Elly.

It never is.

As she paces, her eyes land on a red ribbon, which she ties around the cow's horn. _There_. It's no longer symmetrical, but it's charming enough to turn Elly to goo. She picks it up for one final test, hugging it against her chest.

"Yup, you're definitely huggable!" she says. She imagines Elly repeating the motion and shoves the cow away. "Now I just have to give you to her."

She doesn't move to unlock her door. Picturing Elly's expression has fueled her, but actually looking her in the eye is another thing.

Restlessness wins out. With the cow clutched behind her, she rushes through the castle halls, adrenaline kicking in at the search. To think, she can seek out Elly without Elly trying to hide from her!

When Elly's voice answers her call, it comes from behind her. Vanessa's heart skips as she whirls around. Her fear is realized: Elly's gaze seeks out the concealed cow, which she must have seen as she approached. 

"Vanessa, um, might I ask what you're holding?"

"Elly! Good timing," Vanessa blurts, as if she hadn't been yelling Elly's name. She thrusts the cow forward. "Found this gal in the fields and said I'd introduce her to the locals. Do you think she'd wanna meet Matilda?"

Her attempt to be casual doesn't land; Elly stares at the cow, her expression wobbly and her hand twitching. "It's—it's..." 

Watching her words get stuck makes Vanessa's own throat dry. Luckily, she knows what to do. "Silly question. Who wouldn't want to meet Matilda?" She marches toward Elly's room, correctly assuming Elly will follow.

When they enter, Matilda isn't in her usual chair. Elly's interests didn't change while Vanessa did all of this, did they? To her relief, she finds Matilda atop the pillow, and approaches the bed with the cow in hand. She plops down, shifting the covers. Elly bites her lip as she settles on Matilda's other side.

"Matilda needs her beauty sleep sometimes, huh?" Vanessa asks.

"Please do not enter my room to mock me," Elly says.

"Hey, I wasn't judging. I spent all day making this for you, you know."

Elly's jaw goes slack, a rare sight. " _You_ made this? For _me_?" She looks between the cow and Vanessa like she isn't sure which one to see in a new light. Vanessa shifts, crossing her legs and tapping the cow against her knee.

"I thought Matilda could use a new friend." She ducks her head before placing the cow by Matilda. It teeters on the pillow's edge. In a deep voice, she says, "Mooove over, Matilda!"

She expects Elly to either grow cross or—she hopes—light up. She isn't prepared for Elly to soften, her edges like the toy's cotton. "This was incredibly kind of you, Vanessa."

With her hands free, Vanessa can only smooth the creases she made in the blanket. _Elly's blanket_. _On Elly's bed. Don't think about that_. "You know the rules. Matilda does the talking," Vanessa says. She understands why Elly instated that.

Elly lifts Matilda, carefully sliding her over to make room on the pillow. Vanessa shifts the cow to stand beside her.

"It's such a comfort to have you here," Elly says, not quite managing Matilda's voice. She clears her throat and switches to the proper squeal. "I think this is the start of something bun-derful. My new friend is so cute!"

The giddiness that bubbles up inside Vanessa feels as exciting as a fight and as safe as sewing. "No, Matilda is definitely the cutest," she says, though she's not looking at Matilda at all. 


End file.
